Thorson, Saulnier show the way for Wash swimmers

CEDAR RAPIDS - With the loss of so many seniors to graduation from its state runner-up team last season, Cedar Rapids Washington's long-standing tradition of boys' swimming depth has taken a significant hit.

As Coach Chris Cruise continues to fill holes in the lineup, two of his mainstays - senior Jared Thorson and junior Nick Saulnier - are relied upon more and more to provide leadership to a squad seeking experience.

'Both kids do a real great job in terms of their leadership for our team,” Cruise said after Washington placed fourth in the Jim Voss Invitational Saturday. 'Those are the ones that are at practice every day, they're working hard each day and encouraging other people to do their best as well.”

West Des Moines Valley won the meet with 333 points. Washington recorded runner-up finishes in each of the first four events before Thorson broke through with a victory in the 100-yard butterfly in 53.62 seconds. Thorson has three top-10 finishes at state in the butterfly, including runner-up last season.

'It was like a like a wake-up call,” Thorson said of falling short of a state title last season. 'I realized that I had to spend more time under water, so I try to spend more time underneath the water so my arms aren't as tired.”

Saulnier touched the wall in 54.64 seconds in a victorious 100-yard backstroke. A top-five backstroker at the state meet last season, Saulnier is fixed on chasing records this postseason, which begins with the Mississippi Valley Conference meet next Saturday at Linn-Mar.

'I'm hoping to get the record there,” Saulnier said of the current MVC backstroke mark of 51.56 seconds.

Thorson and Saulnier were named team captains for the invitational, a role they both embraced. Meet captains are tasked with educating younger teammates on what to expect during the upcoming meet and how to be at their best.

'Tell them what it is, who's going to be at the meet, how you should prepare yourself,” Thorson said. 'It's more to give them wisdom so they know what they should be looking to.”

'We'll give a speech,” Saulnier added. 'It can be funny to cheer them up, or it can be serious to tell them about what to expect or what they should do to swim faster or how to mentally prepare themselves better.”

In a pair of runner-up finishes, Washington sophomore Cameron Kelley equaled his season-best time in the 500-yard freestyle (4:52.23) and set a new standard in the 200 (1:47.50).

Before the meet, an emotional dedication ceremony was held renaming the Warrior pool the 'Hal Krizan-Jim Voss Pool,” after the two legendary Washington swim coaches that combined for 26 state championships.

'It was absolutely incredible,” Cruise said. 'The careers of Hal and Jim are second to none.”

AT C.R. WASHINGTON

Teams - 1. West Des Moines Valley 333, 2. Waukesha South (Wis.) 281, 3. Bettendorf 274, 4. C.R. Washington 227, 5. Des Moines Lincoln 95, 6. Cedar Falls 79.

200 medley relay - 1. WDM Valley (Carl Skoog, Bradley Rhein, Ethan Eiler, Beau Blazek), 1:40.20; 2. C.R. Washington (Kaleb Donels, Matt Jackson, Jared Thorson, Nick Saulnier), 1:43.06. 200 free - 1. Nathan Spencer (Bettendorf), 1:45.79; 2. Cameron Kelley (CRW), 1:47.50. 200 IM - 1. Tanner Nelson (Bettendorf), 2:01.41; Saulnier (CRW), 2:01.91. 50 free - 1. Sam Gorham (WDM Valley), 21.95; 2. Thorson (CRW), 22.45. 100 butterfly - 1. Thorson (CRW), 53.62; 2. John Acevedo (WS), 54.87. 100 free - 1. Sam Gorham (WDMV), 47.52; 2. Spencer (Bettendorf), 48.81; 9. George Durin (CRW), 54.29. 500 free - 1. Acevedo (WS), 4:51.11; 2. Cameron Kelley (CRW), 4:52.23. 200 free relay - 1. WDM Valley (Seth Brady, Blazek, Rhein, Gorham), 1:29.93; 2. Bettendorf (Nelson, Ryan Schade, Zach Bunn, Spencer), 1:30.92; 3. C.R. Washington (Durin, Saulnier, Thorson, Kelley), 1:31.33. 100 backstroke - 1. Nick Saulnier (CRW), 54.64; Carl Skoog (WDMV), 55.33. 100 breaststroke - 1. Tanner Nelson (Bettendorf), 1:01.52; 2. Ryan Schade (Bettendorf), 1:02.10; 7. Mitchell Anderson (CRW), 1:09.35. 400 free relay - 1. West Des Moines Valley (Eiler, Skoog, Brady, Gorham), 3:17.39; 2. Bettendorf (Richard Turner, Bunn, Nelson, Spencer), 3:18.43; 5. C.R. Washington (Michael Janssen, Kelley, Jackson, Donels), 3:34.81.

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